Local police chiefs get creative to combat growing drug trade

ELLEN O'CONNELL/Staff Photographer
Police from Hazleton and West Hazleton look for evidence after a male was shot on Fern Street in Hazleton in 2011.

A rising number of thefts and burglaries in the Hazleton area over the past three years offers a glimpse of how drug trade affects a community.

"Who's stealing? Criminals to use on the street, to sell for drugs," West Hazleton police Chief Brian Buglio said.

The number of incidents reported to municipal police departments in 2012 is detailed in the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program.

Though local police chiefs feel adding more officers would decrease the numbers, they're faced with a lack of funding and must think creatively to combat crime.

The numbers

Property crimes greatly outnumbered violent crimes in Hazleton and West Hazleton in 2012, according to the report. Violent crimes include murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, while property crimes include burglary, theft, vehicle theft and arson.

Violent crimes in Hazleton in 2012 totaled 114, while 600 incidents of property crime were reported to city police. In 2011, there were 117 violent crimes and 451 property crimes; in 2010, 90 violent crimes and 509 property crimes.

In West Hazleton in 2012, violent crimes totaled 20 with property crimes at 173. In 2011 violent crime was at 25 and property crime at 195, and in 2010 violent crime was at 19 and property crime at 162.

Robbery and burglary showed the largest increases over the past three years in Hazleton.

There were 26 robberies in the city in 2010, 38 in 2011 and 46 in 2012. Burglaries have increased from 130 in 2010 to 153 in 2011 and 210 in 2012.

Rape also increased steadily over the past three years under the violent crime category. There were nine reported cases in 2010, 11 in 2011 and 19 in 2012.

In West Hazleton for those years, there was an increase in burglaries with 35 reported in 2010, 45 in 2011 and 51 in 2012.

The robbery category fluctuates, however, with six reported to police in 2010, seven in 2011 and four in 2012. So do reported thefts, with 121 in 2010, 141 in 2011 and 115 in 2012.

Rape increased slightly over the past three years in the borough, with none in 2010, one in 2011 and two reported in 2012.

The drug impact

Hazleton Police Chief Frank DeAndrea said the rise in burglaries and robberies boils down to a simple lesson of cause and effect.

He said there are a large number of drug users and dealers in the area. Burglaries and thefts are normally what drug users do to support their habits, he said, while dealers rob users or other dealers to get back money they may be owed. There are instances where innocent bystanders become victims of such crimes, DeAndrea said.

Buglio has seen an uptick in crime, too. In 1996, when he started as a patrol officer in West Hazleton, the borough had an average of one stolen vehicle per year. Now, there are an average of three to four a month. Last month, three handguns were stolen from law-abiding citizens, he said.

Buglio said an "extremely high percentage" of crimes such as burglary, robbery and theft will in some way fall back to drugs, though there are isolated incidents where such crimes aren't drug-related.

Crimes that are opportunistic in nature, such as breaking into garages, vehicles and sheds when no one is looking, are typically but not always committed by drug users.

Drug dealers commit more targeted crimes, such as a home being broken into or property stolen from someone, because the dealer is owed money.

Creative policing

Both chiefs said police officers are working hard to combat the problems, but more officers are needed.

The shortage of police officers is why the frequency of some crimes is rising, DeAndrea said, but knowing there may never be the necessary funding for enough officers, his department and others are using creative measures.

"Every cop I have that can be on the street, is on the street," he said.

Buglio staggers shifts to maximize hours and coverage.

"We're in the same exact boat," he said. "Neither have enough money or officers and (when you look at) crimes per capita, we have the same crime. Not one is worse or better than the other."

DeAndrea, Buglio and other local police chiefs are working chiefs, often backing up patrol officers and responding to incidents so they can add one more officer to the response list.

Buglio said because of a police shortage in both communities, local departments and state police back each other up on calls when necessary. He noted that city officers helped his department investigate a shooting in the borough on Sept. 8, as a lot of the work, such as serving search warrants, was done in Hazleton.

Police are also using quality-of-life issues to stop crime.

It has been proven several times, DeAndrea said, that increasing the quality of life by fixing unkept properties deters criminals. It's a tool that West Hazleton also is using.

DeAndrea said criminals won't commit an offense in a well-kept area because it looks like there are people around, and that poses a greater chance of them getting caught. He said criminals go to places where it looks like no one cares about their surroundings.

In Hazleton, DeAndrea said city departments share information with each other, not only for quality-of-life problems but other infractions or suspicious activity spotted by city employees. Working together and communicating, he said, helps maximize police coverage.

Buglio said the borough has issued citations for hundreds of quality-of-life violations since it took a stance this year, and is starting to see cleaner-looking properties.

"If you take care of the small quality-of-life issues, some of the bigger issues are going to go away," he said.

He agreed with DeAndrea that a community working together is the only way to chase out crime. Buglio said if every resident would take some time out of their week to do something simple like clean litter off their property, it would make a difference.

Online reporting

DeAndrea also is looking into the possibility of having residents report crimes online, to further streamline the police department and allow for more patrol time. He said it's a program other police departments are using and he is trying to see if the department can purchase the software with money seized from investigations.

The program allows a resident who is the victim of a crime to fill out questions on a form through a website. The forms contain questions that officers would normally ask and would be checked by the shift supervisor, who would determine if it needs immediate attention.

DeAndrea said the online reporting will not replace residents' ability to call 911 but would be offered in addition to it, for those who may be afraid to talk to police directly or find it easier to work online.

achristman@standardspeaker.com

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